Region | Palestinian Territories

Time to call for fresh elections, says Abbas

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas yesterday said he is close to calling new legislative elections, a move designed to freeze Hamas from power.

  • AP
  • Published: 22:58 July 25, 2007
  • Gulf News

Ramallah: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas yesterday said he is close to calling new legislative elections, a move designed to freeze Hamas from power.

Abbas said last week that he wants to hold a new vote following Hamas' violent takeover of the Gaza Strip. Hamas, which trounced Abbas' Fatah party in 2006 legislative elections, has said it will boycott a new vote.

In a speech to a visiting US delegation yesterday, Abbas said he would soon order the election.

"The time has come for us to issue the required decrees for early elections," he said. Abbas did not say when he would issue the decree or give a date for the vote. Abbas aides have said they expect elections by early 2008.

US aid

Abbas said Gaza would be included in the elections, underlining his claim to be the legitimate authority of all Palestinians.

"We will not exclude Gaza. Gaza is part of the Palestinian land," he said. However, it remains unclear how he could carry out a vote in the Hamas-controlled territory, home to about one-third of the Palestinian population.

At yesterday's event, the United States announced a programme providing $228 million (about Dh832 million) in loans to Palestinian businesses. Funding will come from a variety of sources, including the United States, Norway, the state-run Palestine Investment Fund and the nonprofit Aspen Institute.

More from Palestinian Territories

  1. Ex-Palestinian intelligence building 'a threat'

  2. Principal punished for dance with Israelis

  3. Officials to update Gaza election registry

  4. UAE author stops US book project

All articles in Palestinian territories

More from Region

Gulf News
Popular in News

More from News

News Editor's choice